How to Apply

Humanities Research Award Guidelines, 2016–2017

Humanities Research Awards provide funding for tenured and tenure-track faculty, with 100% appointments in the College of Liberal Arts, whose work falls within the disciplines of the humanities. The awards support faculty in their effort to bring a research project already in progress to completion, and the expectation is that the recipient will produce one or more publications and make his or her work known to the academic community through conferences and other venues. The award is $5,000 for three consecutive years, for a total of $15,000, to be disbursed by the faculty member’s home department against documented research expenses. Up to ten awards will be granted in fall 2016.

Funding may be used year-round for research-related expenses such as travel, archival costs, supplies, and materials. Funds may not be used to supplement faculty salaries, pay for long-term lodging, purchase computers or other equipment, or provide student tuition, fellowships, scholarships, or stipends. Recipients are expected to maintain their regular teaching and service duties in the course of the award period, unless they are funded by an external grant during that time. Please review the Guidelines for Use of Humanities Research Award Funds before applying. Collaborative projects will not be considered. Applications from past recipients will be considered if the applicant has received a promotion since first receiving the award, and the funding will support a different project.

Submit applications by email to whittington@austin.utexas.edu by August 26, 2016. The email must include all four application documents attached in pdf format. Submit final documents only.

Application Checklist

A two-page project description, detailing the current state of the project and your future plans

Two-page C.V., highlighting your research trajectory

Detailed budget, including timeline, for the three years of the award (September 2016 - August 2019)

Applications will be prescreened for completeness and ﻿eligibility of applicants. Applications that do not meet these criteria will not be considered.

Instructions

Application Cover Sheet: Fill in every field of the cover sheet.

Two-page project description: Description must demonstrate that the project is underway and that the researcher utilizes humanities methods, as opposed to methods from the natural or social sciences. Humanities research employs methods that are interpretive and analytical in nature. While humanities projects sometimes involve some amount of data analysis, projects that rely significantly on data analysis are unlikely to receive high scores for this award.

Two-page C.V.: The C.V. should emphasize your research trajectory through publications, presentations, and research support.

Some things to consider

Long-term lodging: HRA funds may be used to cover lodging expenses associated with research travel. They may not be used for a semester in residence at another institution.

Research assistants: We limit funds that can be used to pay a research assistant to $1000 per award year.

Lodging: For hotel costs, include the number of nights times the cost per night.

HRA funds may not be used to purchase electronic devices, including cameras, scanners, iPads, etc.

Childcare expenses: If such expenses are anticipated, follow the guidelines developed for Faculty Travel Grants (Extra Childcare Expenses).

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS:

A one-page report will be due by September 30 each year of the funding cycle. This report should include a brief description of accomplishments to date, a listing of papers submitted/published, relevant presentations, and grant proposals submitted or funded as a result of the Humanities Research Award.

MEETINGS:

Recipients will meet occasionally as a group to discuss their work.

﻿Eligibility

Tenured and tenure-track faculty with 100% appointment in the College of Liberal Arts.

Project is significantly underway.

Project must not be a collaborative one.

Budget reflects that funds are to be used for approved research expenses.

If the applicant is a previous recipient of the HRA, the applicant has received a promotion since receiving the award, and the funding will support a different project.

Awards to assistant professors who are being considered for promotion to associate professor will not be confirmed until the successful conclusion of the tenure process.

Disqualification will result from the following:

Faculty member is not tenured or tenure track.

Faculty member is not appointed 100% in the College of Liberal Arts.

Proposed project is collaborative.

Application is incomplete or late.

Faculty member has previously received an HRA, but has not been promoted since receiving the award.

Due to the nature of this award, we cannot give a competitive advantage to one applicant over another by answering questions individually. Please submit questions electronically to whittington@austin.utexas.edu. We will post questions and responses on a rolling basis to HRA Questions and Answers.

The deadline for submitting applications is August 26, 2016. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.